Veteran's Day

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Take a second to thank a Veteran today.  Our world would not be what it is without them.

Grandpa John = my dad 

Grandpa Don = my grandpa 

Poopa = my husband's grandpa 

Poppy = my husband's grandpa

And clearly I am not insinuating that the sweet darling between Poppy and Poopa is World War 2, that is my sweet niece about 8 years ago!! 

Get involved.  Volunteer with Operation Shower.

Sharon

all my new photo goodies are from Pugly Pixel!  

Dez and Tam - Orange County Photographers for your Holiday Photos

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If you are looking for the perfect photographers for your holiday family portraits, look no further.  Dez and Tam have a special deal for you but you better act fast!  In order to ensure that your cards can be printed and ordered, you must book your session for before Thanksgiving.  I have worked with Desi several times before and am truly amazed at his skills each time.  Remember when he shot my son's 5th bday party?   

Most recently, I got to hang out with him when I put together a little local blogger meet up/photo shoot. He is a consummate professional, fun guy and AMAZING photographer.  Tammy, his wife, is also a talented photographer.  They make a great team although you may not get to meet her at your family session as they just had their second baby boy!!!  Yeah for them!  

See Lauren leaping?  That is how comfortable Desi makes you feel.

I tagged along on the photo shoot to try to learn as much as I could about photography.  While I like to take photos, it is a hobby.  Some people just get it and Dez and Tam are a few of those people.  I can't wrap my head around lighting, but Desi just maneuvred around the park and knocked out amazing photos in no time at all. 

Desi knew how to work with each personality to get the best shots possible and used other resources to make the models feel comfortable (I may or may not have whipped out some tap dancing from when I was 8 to elicit some giggles).

This was a super fun afternoon.  My favorite part was when Desi would set up and take a shot and then share the image in the viewfinder.  It was always absolute magic.  Another reason Desi and Tammy are the best people to shoot your family photos is they are also parents.  They know how to handle crabby, fast moving children and get the shots, stunning shots of your little angels.  Here is a sneak peek at some of the shots taken of my local blogging friends:

by Dez and Tam

Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop - How gorgeous is this picture?!  That color is so amazing on Kristin!  

by Dez and Tam

Wendy of Wendy Will Blog - Wendy was an absolute natural and got her shots done in only a few frames.  I loved her pretty ease in front of the camera. 

by Dez and Tam

Lauren of A Fabulous Fete - Lauren's hair was magical in the light and did some really artsy shots with Desi throughout the shoot.  I can't wait to see all of them! 

So hurry and book your session with Dez and Tam!  Email Desi@dezandtam.com.

They are also available for weddings, parties, maternity and any other kind of shoots you can think of.  I was beyond impressed with the work he did at my son's party.  He captured the details that meant so much to me and our guests enjoying themselves.  They are memories that I will always cherish. 

I heart Dez and Tam!

Sharon

All images are mine except for the last 3 courtesy of Dez and Tam 

Guest Posting on Celebrations.com - Part 3 {Drink up!}

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I've really enjoyed sharing some tips with you guys over on Celebrations.com!  Today they are sharing my ways to keep bar costs down while entertaining.  Check it out here! 

In case you missed them, see all the posts here:

Part 1 {simple diys and ways to jazz up your decor with things you already own}

Part 2 {a dinner buffet, easy dishes that everyone will love}

Part 3 {A budget bar, how to stretch your drink dollar}

Sharon

photo is mine

October Inspiration Board Challenge - Final Board

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Remember this Mini and Maximus shirt?  Yup, it was the inspiration piece I sent to Taryn of Formal Fringe to create a mood board for.  

Taryn says:

I know this is a kid's t-shirt, but I can't help but imagine it being worn by a playful women on a milestone birthday, worn tucked in to a glimmering sequined skirt.  The glitter and glam carries into the whole fete through metallic details on escort cards, plates, envelopes and even in the drinks!  The decor of the room is neutral, weaving tones of gold, copper and silver with modern black and white.  It's the perfect state to crown her the official V.P. of Fun for the night! 

Photo Sources:

Metallic china patterns, Martha Stewart Weddings
Netural Tassle Garland - CONFETTISYSTEM
Mojito with edible glitter - Fashionably Bombed
V.P. of Fun t-shirt - Mini & Maximus
Metallic Sequined Bell Skirt - J.Crew
Black and white lounge - Rue Mag
Golden feather envelopes - Furze Chan
Metallic graphic escort cards - Martha Stewart Weddings

Thank you so much, Taryn for putting this board together!  I love your idea of pairing the Tee with a gorgeous, shimmery skirt.  And those metallic stars in the drink are making me SO happy!  This would also make a rad New Year's Eve theme.  I wish I had the energy to throw a blow out party for the last big holiday of the year.  

Can you believe it is November already!?!  Let the Christmas shopping commence!  I heard Christmas music while shopping at Michaels today and I didn't hate it...

Guest Posting at Celebrations.com - Part 2 {Food}

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In case you missed it, yesterday I did a guest post over on Celebrations.com about fall entertaining and ways to keep the costs down as we head in to the holiday season.  I focused on decor, materials and ways to jazz up already owned items.  Check it out here.  Then pop on over to see Part 2 that was shared today.  I share how I created the buffet menu (above photo) that is both delicious and totally affordable.   Part 3 will be up tomorrow!  

I'm so glad I could share these tips with you all via Celebrations.com.  Happy holidays!  

Sharon

Holiday Hot Apple Cider {aka Wassil, aka Radtastic}

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This is a family recipe.  And by family recipe I mean I'm sure it came off the back of a can or cookbook at some point and we've adopted it as our own.  Not maliciously, I assure you.  But you know how things go, you pass them around through the years and recipe credit gets diluted.  Regardless, this recipe SCREAMS fall to me.  It smells amazing while it cooks on the stove, it is sweet and spicy and is absolutely perfect on a crisp fall day.  This is the perfect party beverage as it serves about 16 (in 1/2 cup portions).  Hmmmm, today is Halloween and although it is still 80 degrees during the day, I think trick or treating, while sipping on some of this cider, will be just delightful. 

The ingredients are simple and readily available.  You will need:

-6 cups apple cider or juice (try to find something with the fewest ingredients and with the best natural apple taste. You don't need a ton of sugar because you will be adding a bit of honey)

-1 cinnamon stick

-1/4 tsp. nutmeg (if you live in South Orange County you must go to Savory - amazing, fresh spices)

-1/4 cup honey (this honey from Ace Hotel New York is made on the roof of the hotel!  So cool!)

-3 TBSP lemon juice

-1 tsp. grated lemon juice

-1 can (18 oz.) unsweetened pineapple juice (2 1/4 cups) (Notice I have 3 small cans as my store didn't have a big can)

-orange slices (optional as garnish)

In a large saucepan, head cider or juice and one cinnamon stick to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Uncover and stir in remaining ingredients except orange slices.  Simmer 5 more minutes.  Serve in a punchbowl.  Float orange slices if desired. 

Then grab your favorite mug and fill her up.  This republican mug was from Fishs Eddy and is no longer available but this "Tea is for Losers" mug would also be a fave. 

This hot apple cider recipe is my delicious!  After it is cooled, store the remaining cider in the fridge and heat up one cup at a time as needed or return to the stove to reheat the whole batch.  I'm not well versed in my liquors, but something tells me there must be the perfect spirit to add to this.  Any suggestions? 

Sharon

all photos are mine

Snoopy's Costume Party at Camp Spooky

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Me (in pastel jumper) and my sis with Snoopy - circa 1984.  Boom

I grew up in Orange County pretty close to Knott's Berry Farm and went a lot.  But I have never ever been to Knott's during their Halloween Haunt.  I hate Halloween.  It's the Vegas of holidays.  I don't understand why, just because it is a "holiday", that it is ok for children to be shown dismembered babies, zombies with blood coming out of their eyes and way too many "naughty" nurses.  All in the name of Halloween.  This wouldn't fly in March.  But in October, allowed.  Plus I am a sissy and don't like surprises or to be scared.  In high school, when my sister and all my friends were heading out to Halloween Haunt - year after year - I wouldn't even ride in the car with my mom to drop them off.  Even the drop off point was too close to those made up monsters.  So Knott's is not the first place I would think of to take my kids for Halloween fun.  BUT I was recently invited to check out Snoopy's Costume Party at Camp Spooky (get it! How cute is that!) so I decided to give it a try.  Besides, at 8 o'clock in them morning, how much evil could there really be?  Monsters have to sleep too, right? 

It seems like there are very few places where kids can wear their costumes now, aside from trick-or-treating.  Knott's encourages the kids to come dressed up.  The Snoopy's Costume Party event is such a cute idea.  Every Saturday and Sunday in October, for the regular price of admission, your kids will be treated to some extra special activities in Camp Spooky (does not include any food or drink).  

My mom and my youngest son were my dates for this fun VIP event.  To start the morning off, we were treated to breakfast at Lucy's Lunchbox.  I don't think they usually serve breakfast, but the restaurant is cute and you can have birthday parties here if you choose to celebrate in the park.  And characters roam around while you are there.  How fun are those kid's meals?  They are served in a really cute plastic lunch pail that you can take home with you.  

Camp Snoopy, I mean, Camp Spooky is decorated really cute.  You can tell that there are some decorations meant for the super scary Halloween Haunt but for the most part, they really make an effort to keep the area kid friendly. 

After breakfast, we checked out all the rides in Camp Spooky.  Because we got to go in before the park was open to the public, we were pretty much the only people on the rides.  Which is awesome since my son has zero patience for lines.  We were the only people on the first 5 rides we went on.  All the ride operators were SO nice.  They always asked him if he had a good time and wished us a good day.  I'm sure they were not happy to be up early just for us, but they were awesome.  Fun fact:  My sister once worked as a ride operator in Camp Snoopy...

One of the fun activities the park offers just for Halloween is trick or treating.  They provide this cute map when you enter Camp Snoopy, along with the bag, and there are stops throughout where you can get candy.  One stop was Dum Dum suckers, which delighted me because my allergic son can eat them.  

How cute are these washcloth ghosts?!  Tucked just inside the entrance to one of the rides, there were two craft stations set up for the kids to make their own ghosts.  They put out markers for the kids to personalize them with faces, scribbles, whatever.  They were even willing to make them for the kids if they were too small.  I loved this!  Be sure to see the separate "how-to" post on this!

I'm sorry.  But my son is THE cutest thing on the face of the planet.  That face gets him whatever he wants.  Sorry, family.  This one is spoiled and rotten all because of me.  And that face.  

We somehow skipped the other maze and purposely skipped something called "Creepy Crawly Cave" (listen, I will do Halloween for my kids if I have to, but I'm never going to be down with bugs) but we had fun in Haunted Harvest.  I must have asked both people working there 30 times if it was scary.  They assured me it wasn't and they were right (aside from a kind of sketchy one eyed scarecrow near the end that I glanced at but held it together for the sake of my child - and it he didn't even flinch at it so...)  I ADORE the Charlie Brown movies that come on TV around each holiday especially The Great Pumpkin.  One of my favorite things about this maze was all the character cutouts throughout.  So cute!  

I highly recommend bringing your kids to Knott's for Camp Spooky!  We had a blast!  

The temperature steadily rose while we were there prompting my son to abandon his fleece costume.  When we were done with Camp Spooky, we decided to walk around the park to see what has changed since the last time my mom was there (years!).

Aside from a few very creepy clown heads decorating light poles, crazy big fake spiders and evil pumpkin men hanging off buildings, it is still safe to walk around the rest of the park in the day time.  In fact, how cute is that bone wreath?  I decided to further spoil my son with an Icee that was almost as tall as he was.  And my research shows that I am the only person who wants a funnel cake before noon.  Because NO one was selling them.  I had to settle for the lady holding a fake one.  It was not tasty.  

We had a blast at Knott's and more specifically, Camp Spooky!  A huge thank you to Knott's Berry Farm and GIGASAVVY for putting this together and hosting my family for the day!  I love being able to share things with my kids that I shared with my mom growing up.  And Knott's is a place we know and love.  

Sharon

all photos are mine

*Disclosure:

I was given entry in to the park for myself and a few guests, treated to breakfast and given cowboy hats for the kids.  My opinions can not be bought, though.  They are all mine. 

Reminder: Halloween doesn't have to be scary

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Since I am behind on my posts for Halloween this year I thought I would remind you about what I did last year. I have always disliked the spooky side of the holiday.  So I decided to focus more on the "boo-tiful" side of it and keep it nice and light.  I was originally inspired by the "boo" stickers on these amazing butter crunch treats by POP Candy.  And incorporated elements from Paper and Cake as well.  See the full, original post here. 

Sharon

Papel Picado-esque Straw Flags

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So I had this idea that I had to try out.  I love the papel picado flags that you sometimes see at fiestas.  They look super intricate and I wouldn't have the first clue, or patience, how to make the banners.  But I wondered about a mini version of it done as a straw flag.  Turned out pretty cute so I thought I would share.  Much like my cooking, my crafts tend to be a little less than precise.  And since my 2 year old decided he didn't need to nap today, there was extra activity around the craft table.  

Supplies:

Piece of paper

Paper cutter

scissors

Glue Dots Glue Lines

Glue Dots Craft

Glue Dots Mini Dots

A decorative Martha Stewart Anywhere punch

Straw

Cut a strip of paper to be 1 3/4" x 4 3/4" (this will depend on the decoration of the punch really).  Fold the paper in half.

Use the decorative punch making sure to allow for plenty of room for the straw near the fold.

Place a Glue Dot Craft Dot in the center of the fold.  Secure the straw to the dot.  Add a Glue Dots Glue Line to one side of the straw.  You are going to need to match up the punch on both sides before you get the back side of the paper to adhere to the Glue Line.  

Use a Glue Dots Mini Dot near the edge to help line up the decoration. 

Trim the edge with scissors.  Insert in to beverage and enjoy.  While not a traditional Mexican folk pattern, the decorative cut outs still look pretty cool.  

Sharon

All photos are mine.  

Este Cinco de Mayo Cocktail es mi amor

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Is my Spanish correct?  Si o no?  I got an email with this recipe, called Corazon de Camarena, and HAD to try it.  I love herbs in my cocktails.  And strawberries are so delicious right now.  It sounded like the perfect drink to try out for Cinco de Mayo.  I'll be honest, I don't usually get all crazy about this holiday.  I think I maybe went out to a bar once on Cinco de Mayo.  When I was in college.  And while I barely remember it, its because it was so long ago not because I had a drunken blast.  

So when a tequila company asks if you want a sample, you say, claro que si!  Don't you love the bottle of the Camarena Tequila?  Everything about it makes me want to whisk it off for a relaxing vacation to Cabo.  The recipe is super easy, uses super fresh ingredients and is a little different from your run of the mill margarita.  No better time than the middle of the afternoon on a weekday when you are home alone with the children to try out a new cocktail recipe I always say.

Dude, I'm wasted!! No, just kidding.  I took several sips and then stopped.  But didn't want to.  No children were harmed in the making of this recipe:

Corazon de Camarena

2 oz. Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila

1/2 cup strawberry simple syrup (*see recipe below)

2 oz. fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon agave nectar

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped roughly

Sliced strawberries

Place the basil in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, pour in the tequila.  Use the back of a spoon (or muddler - or end of a metal ice cream scooper like I used) to mash the basil leaves into the tequila.  Fill the shaker with ice and add strawberry simple syrup, lime juice and agave nectar.  Fill with ice, shake and strain into a high ball glass over ice.  Garnish with sliced strawberries on the rim and ribbons of basil mixed in the drink.

*Strawberry Simple Syrup

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 5 sliced strawberries in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Cool the syrup, then strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing the strawberries to extract all liquid.

My Conclusion:

I made the strawberry simple syrup the day before so I knew it would be cold when I wanted to make the recipe.  I used cheesecloth instead of a sieve.  It may not have been fine enough.  As I squeezed, bits were starting to ooze out and it looked like something that would work well for a Halloween special effect.  I found it a bit sweet, and since I don't enjoy overly sweet drinks, I decided to leave out the agave nectar when I made the final drink.  It took about 2 1/2 limes to get 2 oz. of juice so plan your shopping list accordingly.  As per usual, I didn't read the part about serving over ice.  I think the recipe above would be for two drinks if they were served over ice.  

I REALLY liked this recipe.  A LOT.  The tequila smelled really good.  I'm not sure I usually think that when I smell tequila (which is not often).  I highly recommend this recipe for your Cinco de Mayo and summer entertaining.  Be sure to check out the Camarena website for this and other recipes.  There are some others I am going to try.  And I just saw this tequila at my local grocery store this weekend, so you should be able to find it in a store near you.  Please note that my son only wants me to take his picture when I don't want to.  And yes, that is melted chocolate all up on his grill.  If mama is drinking in the afternoon, kids can have chocolate bunnies.  What's fair is fair.  

I received a bottle of Camarena Tequila to sample.  Holler! 

Sharon

All photos mine. 

Happy Tuesday

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Still winding down from a very busy weekend.  Oliver's bday party was super fun on Saturday.  I'm dying to get the pics back.  I can't wait to share.  And we had a really nice Easter Sunday with 3 egg hunts and various meals.  I hope you all enjoyed time with your families this weekend as well.  My question to you is this, though:  If you need a clipboard to keep track of your egg hunt is it perhaps a bit too complicated? :)  Being a "manager" I loved seeing my pop-in-law striding around with this clipboard and pencil whilst the kids ran amok.  

Sharon